Ralph Lemon (born August 1, 1952 in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line ...

) is an American

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

director, writer,

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

and a conceptualist. Raised in a religious environment, he developed his artistic creativity as a child.Diana Stockon, ‘’Lemon, Ralph,’’ in ‘’International Dictionary of Modern Dance’’, ed. Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf (Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press, 1988), 464-467. Early in his career, Lemon used

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

as a source of expression, and as he discovered dance, utilized movement as a physical means of expression.

Career and awards

Lemon began his educational career in

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...

and theater arts at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. Upon graduation in 1975, Lemon trained with Nancy Hauser, who eventually asked Lemon to join her

. Before Lemon participated, he cofounded Mixed Blood Theater Company in 1976, in Minneapolis. He eventually moved to New York where he met and danced with

Meredith Monk Meredith Jane Monk (born November 20, 1942) is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. From the 1960s onwards, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, record ...

and her company. Soon after leaving Monk's company in 1985, he founded the Ralph Lemon Dance company. Over the length of his career he has worked with renowned companies such as the

Limón Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is ...

Dance Company,

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

's Repertory Ensemble, the Geneva Opera Ballet, Jacob's Pillow Dance Ensemble, and Lyons Opera Ballet. Lemon also performed in a video documentary with choreographer Bebe Miller. Lemon is known for his

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Mos ...

s in different media and with musicians. Ralph Lemon's work has been acknowledged with awards such as the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

choreographic fellowship; American Choreographers Award, 1987; Gold Medal, New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award, 1987. With a decade of success behind the Ralph Lemon Company, Lemon made a crucial decision to disband the company for varying reasons from financial to the pursuit of broadening his artistic interest.Wilson, Schick, et al., ‘’Current Biography Yearbook’’ (New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1997), 314-317. Lemon received a 2000

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has commi ...

Performing Arts Award and 2012 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. Ralph Lemon was one of the twelve recipients of the 2015 National Medal of Arts. In 2018, he received the 23rd Annual

Heinz Award The Heinz Awards are individual achievement honors given annually by the Heinz Family Foundation. The Heinz Awards each year recognize outstanding individuals for their innovative contributions in three areas: the Arts, the Economy and the Enviro ...

in the Arts and Humanities. In 2019, he received the Francis J. Greenburger Award for artists whom the art world knows to be of extraordinary merit but who have not been fully recognized by the public. Lemon has lived and worked in New York City's East Village since 1991.

Geography Trilogy

Over a ten-year span, Lemon created a trilogy that uses choreography to present social and political issues in numerous collaborative projects. Lemon recently finished the ten year art project, ''Geography Trilogy'', which investigated an apparent collision of cultures and searched for personal and artistic identity within a broader spectrum.‘’Artist-in-Residence Ralph Lemon,’’ Biography, Walker Art Center, (accessed March 25, 2008). During Ralph Lemon's ten year trilogy creation, he wrote two books entitled ''Geography: Art, Race, Exile'' to correlate to the dance ''Geography'' and ''Tree: Belief, Culture, Balance'' which relates to the dance ''Tree''. The third part of the trilogy, ''Come Home Charley Patton'', is now a book. He ended up creating these two books as a result of physicality, emotional conflicts, spiritual connections and specifically cultural contradictions that lead to the numerous collaborations and experiences he gained.‘’Cross Performance/Ralph Lemon,’’ Biography, Multiarts Projects and Productions, http://www.multiartsprojects.com/artist_index.php?artistid=2§ionid=86 (accessed March 25, 2008). The overall synopsis of the ''Geography Trilogy'' is to create a link and understanding to other cultures histories while evolving and experimenting with his artistic works in three different continents. For example, ''Geography'' formulated in Africa, ''Tree'' originated in Asia, and ''Come Home Charley Patton'' brought Lemon back to the United States. Ralph Lemon's creative journey began with ''Geography'' in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea. The journals he wrote gave insight into the life of an "American, African, brown, black, blue black, male, and artist." Embodying these characteristics, Lemon sought not only to create art about his culture but to connect with his heritage during the duration of his visit. Lemon then ventured to Asia for his next piece in the trilogy ''Tree''. ''Tree'' is ritually structured through Buddhism, and reveals a conflict of cultural values pertaining to performance, race, identity, modernity and tradition. Lemon finished the trilogy in the US with ''Come Home Charley Patton'', a piece that revisits a segregated time in history. The performance of ''Come Home Charley Patton'' shows how "different generations remember the same critical events and places; what kind of narratives do justice to traumatic memories; and what form memories can ultimately take through the aesthetic works of this project."

Artistic style

Much of Lemon's success is attributed to his unique ability to express dramatic and emotional content through movement using new art forms. Ralph Lemon is currently the artistic director of Cross Performance Inc. in New York. Lemon strives to invent and be innovative with each performance he creates by conveying different concepts and using different media.‘’USA FELLOWS 2006,’’ Biography, United States Artist, (accessed March 25, 2008). The core of Ralph Lemon's style in his earlier works was atmospherically showcased with strong costumes and props to visually help the audience understand the narrative. By the early 1990s he strayed away from a theatrical style to a more movement oriented style by focusing on the body. Ralph Lemon uses both his art and anthropology backgrounds to influence his choreography, but he refrains from distorting the cultural importance of dance within traditions.

Performances

Works

1984- *''Ant's Burden'' (mus. Bob Roman), solo *''Romance'' (mus. Tom Waites) *''Folktales and Romance 4'', evening-length performance produced by Dance Theatre Workshop, New York *''Boundary Water'' (mus. Beethoven), New Dance Ensemble of Minnesota *''Folktales with Men and Oranges'', for Dance on the Lower East Side Festival, New York *''The Last Nights of Paris and Georgette'', Dance Theatre Workshop 1985- *''Plan de Liebe'', CoDanceCo *''Forest'', (mus. Linda Bouchard), duet, American Dance Festival *''And the Jungle Will Obliterate the Shrine/Seasons'', RLC *''Scarecrow'', (mus. Hart) 1986- *''Flock'', (mus. Sibelius), Jacob's Pillow Dance Ensemble *''En Su Llama Mortal'', Ballet Hispancio of New York *''Two'' w/Bebe Miller (mus. Hyams Hart) 1987- *''Nightingales and Fisherman'' (mus. Bach) *''Les Noces'' (mus. Ravel, Debussy), RLC *''Waiting for Carnival'', New Dance Ensemble 1988- *''Happy Trails'' (mus. country and western collage), RLC *''Cherubino and the Nightingale'' (mus. Mozart), RLC *''Folkdance Duet'' (mus. traditional Norwegian folk), RLC *''Folkdance'', Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble *''Punchinello'', Boston Ballet 1989- *''Joy'' (mus. Cale), RLC *''Sleep'' (mus. Fauré), RLC 1990- *''Joy'' (Solo), (mus. Satie), RLC *''Bogus Pomp'', Lyons Opera Ballet *''Civilian'', solo 1991- *''Persephone'' (mus. Davis), RLC *''Folkdance'' Sextet (mus. Beethoven), RLC *''Folkdance'' Solo (mus. taped conversation), RLC *''Don Juan'', Graz Opera Ballet 1992- *''Their Eyes Rolled Back in Ecstasy'' (mus. Hyams Hart, Barret, chants), RLC *''Their Eyes Rolled Back in Ecstasy'' (Solo) (mus. Hyams Hart), RLC *''Phrases Almost Biblical'', RLC *''My Tears Have Been My Meat Night and Day'', Lyons Opera Ballet *''Folkdance'' (with Songs), Batsheva Dance Company 1993- *''Folkdance Sextet'', The Metropolitan Ballet of Michigan 1996- *''Konbit'', a video documentary collage *''Persephone'', collaboration between Philip Trager, Rita Dove, Eavan Boland, and Andrew Szegedy-Maszak 1997- *''Geography'', Part 1 in Geography Trilogy 1999- *''Three'', a film created by Bebe Miller, and Isaac Julien 2000- *''Tree'', Part 2 in Geography Trilogy *''Temples'', a mixed media installation of works related to Tree 2001- *''Mirrors and Smoke'', new media collaboration with Philip Mallory *''The Geography Trilogy'', visual art installation 2004- *''Come Home Charley Patton'', Part 3 in Geography Trilogy 2007- *''The Geography Trilogy'' DVD Archive Collection *''(The efflorescence of) Walter'', Mixed media installation at The Kitchen, NYC May–June *''(The efflorescence of) Walter'' as part of Open-Ended (the art of engagement) exhibition at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota March–June 2009- *''Rescuing the Princess'', Lyons Opera Ballet 2010- *''How Can you Stay in the House all Day and Not Go Anywhere''

Publications

*''Persephone'' With Eavan Boland, Rita Dove, and Phillip Trager, Middletown, Connecticut, 1996. *''Geography: Art, Race, Exile''. By Ralph Lemon. Hanover, NH:

Wesleyan University Press Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist. History and overview Founded (in its present form ...

, 2000 *''Tree: Belief, Culture, Balance''. By Ralph Lemon.

References

External links

Ralph Lemon: (the efflorescence of) Walter, 2008 YOUtube LLC

The Record: Contemporary Art and VinylArchival footage of Ralph Lemon performing ''Solo'' in 1991 at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemon, Ralph 1952 births Living people African-American artists American artists American choreographers American male dancers University of Minnesota alumni MacArthur Fellows 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people